YO U
SP JS T
—Deborah Spanel SPJST Lodge 20, Granger
TH
PR OG RA
M
ISSN —07458800
oth my daughters were in the SPJST Youth Program, and as their mother, I can tell you how much this meant to both them and me! First of all, both my husband and I were transplants to the small town of Granger, Texas. We arrived in the early 1980s when new people were very rare in Granger. Norma Cavanaugh and Rubie Loessin were some of the few people to reach out to us, and they both told me about the great youth program that SPJST had. Since I am Czech and adored my maternal Czech grandparents, joining a friendly Czech organization seemed like a good idea to me. My grandparents had never been members of SPJST . . . maybe because there was not a lodge in Ganado where they lived, or maybe because they already were members of Catholic Czech organizations. But even though these Czech Catholic organizations also existed in Granger, they only approached me many years later. Emilie Tischler was the youth leader at Granger, and she wisely invited us to attend a Youth Achievement Day (YAD) program so we could see what the SPJST Youth Program had to offer. I was so impressed with the youth and their talents. These children could sew, cross-stitch, sing, dance, paint, assemble kits, do scientific experiments, and give speeches. And, the best thing was that they could submit these talents to be judged so they could see how they measured up to other youth their ages. I especially liked how this fostered healthy competition and hard work— since I believe both are needed to succeed in this world. I was completely sold, and even though I did not have these kinds of talents myself, I took out insurance policies for both myself and my children. Thus, both of my children became youth club members from the time they were little and remained active members until they graduated from high school. They participated in every YAD, and therefore learned how to do many different kinds of crafts and also learned how to perform before an audience. Many times they won first place in one or more categories and thus were eligible for state competition. My oldest daughter Laura won first place at state for her skit “Possum Come AKnockin’” and two SPJST scholarships among many other state awards. When she graduated, she went on to attend Texas A&M University and graduated with honors with a bachelor of science degree in geography. My daughter Cara won District Two Queen, runner-up State Queen, first place in science, third place in special category, second place in state individual talent with her original “GoGo Dance,” and an SPJST scholarship. She also attended Texas A&M University from where she graduated with honors in molecular and cell biology. Laura is now a mom to two of my beautiful grandchildren and also is a geographical information specialist, and Cara is currently studying for her PhD in medical research in Dallas. Both of my girls give SPJST credit for developing skills that they might never have developed had not their mom been approached by SPJST members Norma Cavanaugh and Rubie Loessin. I sincerely thank these two women for introducing us to the SPJST Youth Program which gave my children an outlet to pursue different types of talents, and in the process, to learn what it takes to compete and be a success in this world.
A special VĚSTNÍK publication. Volume 101 Number 34
B
Youth Spectacular